Rafale

Pack Mule: The French Pack Donkey

Since its first flight in 1986, only 196 Rafales have been produced. It's a limited edition. The Swiss Air Force had previously shown interest in it but failed at the polls in May 2014. Now, the Rafale is back in the running. The French aircraft from Dassault particularly shines with its maximum payload capacity. Sure, it’s not an Antonov An-225, but with a weapons load of 9.5 tons, it’s a true pack mule among fighter jets. This is roughly equivalent to the weight of the large bell of the Bern Cathedral or nearly 100,000 pocket knives.

Country of origin: France
Type: Multirole combat aircraft
Length: 15.27 m
Wingspan: 10.8 m
Wing area: 45.7 m²
Height: 5.34 m
Crew: 1 pilot (Rafale C and M), 2 pilots (Rafale B)
Weight: 10,220 kg
Fuel capacity: 4,680 kg
Maximum speed: Mach 1.97
Minimum speed: 148 km/h
Maximum altitude: 16,763 m
Maximum climb rate: > 305 m/s
Payload: 9,500 kg
Engines: 2 SNECMA M88-2 E4 turbofan engines
First flight: July 4, 1986
Number produced: 196.